Fangyuan Li loved the friendly people and beautiful environment at the University of Wisconsin-Madison. She came to the university through the Visiting International Student Program (VISP), which gives international students a chance to study for one or two terms outside of a formal exchange program.
Li felt at home in Madison, a safe city that’s regularly picked as one of the best places to live in the United States. She found it a refreshing contrast to her native Beijing.
“Madison is a quiet city that’s good for studying and living, but it’s not too quiet,” she says. “It’s still very developed. You can get everything you want to here. It’s a totally different experience that might happen only once in my life.”
Key to the future
UW-Madison ranks among the world’s best universities, and Li was drawn by the eminent professors.
“They all have very good education backgrounds and very good research programs,” she says. “I knew I’d feel lucky to be taught by those professors.”
At UW-Madison, Li gained skills that will improve her job prospects in international business.
“I made a huge improvement in my English, my academics, and my knowledge about the U.S.,” she says. “So definitely, when I go back to Beijing, I’ll find a job related to international business.”
VISP students can join campus clubs and use campus facilities, and they leave with an official transcript. They commonly have transformative experiences, and Li is no exception. She sees her time at UW-Madison as the key to her future.
“It opens the door of the world to me.”
For more information about the Visiting International Student Program, contact the VISP coordinators at VISP@dcs.wisc.edu, 608–263-6960; and check out the VISP Facebook page and Instagram account.